Children have always loved to doodle. Doodling may comprise many forms and use many different tools. For starters, children have been known to use colored crayons to sketch and doodle various scenes. Children doodle with pencils, markers, pens and even with sticks in the dirt. As technology progressed, the tools used by children to sketch have changed as well.
The Etch-A-Sketch® was a mechanical drawing toy invented by French inventor André Cassagnes and subsequently manufactured by the Ohio Art Company. An Etch-A-Sketch® has a thick, flat gray screen in a distinctive red plastic frame. There are two knobs on the front of the frame in the lower corners. Twisting the knobs moves a stylus that displaces aluminum powder on the back of the screen, leaving a solid line. The knobs create lineographic images. The left control moves the stylus horizontally, and the right one moves it vertically. The Etch-A-Sketch® was introduced near the peak of the Baby Boom in 1960, and is one of the best known toys of that generation. It was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, N.Y. in 1998. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association named Etch-A-Sketch® to its Century of Toys List, a roll call commemorating the 100 most memorable and most creative toys of the 20th century. In spite of its great success, the Etch-A-Sketch® product was not capable of being used in the dark.
The Magna Doodle® was a magnetic drawing toy, consisting of a drawing board, a magnetic stylus, and a few magnet shapes. Invented in 1974, over forty million units have been sold to date worldwide, under several brands, product names and variations. The key element of the toy is the magnetophoretic display panel, filled with a thick, opaque white liquid containing tiny dark magnetic particles. These particles can be drawn to the drawing surface by a magnet-tipped stylus or optionally-provided shapes, or removed to the hidden back side by a sliding eraser bar. The middle layer is divided into a honeycomb of cells, keeping the liquid static and the particles evenly distributed across the panel. The liquid is formulated so that the floating particles can be pulled through it in response to the magnetic forces, but not due to gravity. In spite of its great success, the Magna Doodle® product is not capable of being used in the dark.
The Lite-Brite® was a toy, created by Hasbro in 1967, that allows the user to create glowing designs. It is a light box with small colored plastic pegs that fit into a matrix of holes and illuminate to create a lit piece of art. Using the colored pegs the user can create designs from imagination or by following templates. There are eight peg colors: green, blue, red, yellow, orange, pink, purple and colorless clear. Lite-Brite® allows the artist to create a glowing picture by placing multi-colored translucent plastic pegs through opaque black paper. The light from an illuminated light bulb is blocked by the black paper except where the pegs conduct the light. When lit, the pegs have an appearance similar to that of LEDs. Placing the amount of pegs required to form an image becomes quite cumbersome and time consuming. This limits the creativity of the user when sketching.
The Aquadoodle® was an activity drawing toy primarily for preschool aged children. The patented invention is based on a hydrochromatic ink which causes color change when the user draws with a water filled pen. The user's drawings will remain for several minutes before gradually disappearing. Aquadoodle® is not capable of being used in the dark.
One of the more interesting materials which has intrigued toy manufacturers is that found in materials which are generally described as “luminescent”. Luminescent materials are often described as “glow-in-the-dark” materials due to their property of storing illuminating energy received from an external source and thereafter glowing or emitting a subdued light for an extended period of time. Various types of games and toy apparatus attempting to make use of the amusing and interesting properties of luminescent materials have been provided.
Phosphorescence is a specific type of photoluminescence related to fluorescence. Unlike fluorescence, a phosphorescent material does not immediately re-emit the radiation it absorbs. The slower time scales of the re-emission are associated with “forbidden” energy state transitions in quantum mechanics. As these transitions occur very slowly in certain materials, absorbed radiation may be re-emitted at a lower intensity for up to several hours after the original excitation. Commonly seen examples of phosphorescent materials are the glow-in-the-dark toys, paint, and clock dials that glow for some time after being charged with a bright light such as in any normal reading or room light. Typically the glowing then slowly fades out within minutes (or up to a few hours) in a dark room.
Many toys and products have incorporated phosphorescence materials. However, there is always a need for something new when it comes to sketching and doodling. A problem with the prior art is that the UV light has to be held close to the phosphorescent material for the light to be absorbed and then reemitted. Typically, the light emitting device is designed to resemble a pen such that its use mimics that of a traditional pen. Accordingly, the novelty of these products have diminished over time because the use is limited to direct contact and new variations are always sought after in the marketing wars between competing companies.
Accordingly, toy manufacturers are always looking for new and exciting ways to allow children to doodle utilizing new technologies and methods. Therefore, there is a need for a new way to allow children to doodle. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.